An Unexpected Rivalry
by prince kouha
Summary: [slightly crack] Satoru Furuya and Kazuya Miyuki form a respectable battery and may cooperate well in the bullpen, but in regards to love affairs they're definitely not playing on the same team. Satoru just never expected that he'd be competing with his senpai... for his rival's affections, of all people.


Satoru liked his senpai. He had to force himself to, at least; he _did_ travel all the way to Tokyo to attend Seidou, miles from his freezing, faraway hometown in Hokkaido just to meet him. It would be terrible if he didn't.

Kazuya Miyuki was all the newspapers had advertised. Sure, he had somewhat of a bad personality; he was constant teasing and insulting, but he also had an almost impeccable baseball sense, quick wit, and a certain charm that compensated for his annoying habits. He was likable for the most part, although sometimes there were those moments when one wanted to throw a fastball and aim at his smug, smiling face and hoped to God that it'd break through his shitty orange glasses. Even so, the younger admired the second year immensely. He was the first person to ever be able to catch his pitches, didn't give up on him, and was actually pretty supportive of the "monster rookie," a nickname he had fondly bestowed upon his kouhai.

The raven-haired pitcher had formed a close knit battery with the brown-haired catcher. He gave him a lot of pointers, helped him during practice, and sometimes even fueled his ego. Since their positions correlated with each other, and they worked as a team, Satoru expected to always be supported by Kazuya whether during batting or his beloved position on the mound.

However, that all changed when Satoru fell in love.

Eijun Sawamura was an entirely different case from Kazuya Miyuki. For one, Satoru hadn't heard of him at all, a country boy coming from outside of Tokyo as well, and didn't really like him at first sight. He was kind of annoying, and initially didn't seem nearly as good as a pitcher as he was, which was actually somewhat enraging since he had to take the regular admissions test while Eijun had been scouted by that Takashima woman.

He also sat next to Kazuya-senpai when Satoru wanted to first, and Satoru could be kind of a brat when he felt like it.

It was a victory when Satoru had managed a promotion to the first string immediately during the practice game, especially since Eijun kind of sucked. It was an example of division in talent. Even if he didn't really plan on talking to him after that, he could totally hold it over his head when the other was around. It would definitely piss the other off, that was for sure, and Satoru thought that it was kind of amusing when Eijun got mad.

However, by the end of the same game, the said teenager displayed a unique form and a willful spirit. He never gave up, continuing his pitching until the very end.

Satoru could admit that he was kind of admirable.

Eijun was like a fire that never burnt out. Even after making it to second string, a commendable feat in itself especially since many of the first years hadn't been accepted to anything at all, he never gave up his dream of becoming ace.

The brown-haired pitcher was an extreme nuisance, but tried so hard that one couldn't help but cheer him on. He soon learned to complete his training regiment without complaint, and eventually started asking for even _more_, and was able to win over the third year catcher with the cold exterior, Chris Yuu Takigawa and restore the shine in his eyes.

It wasn't a surprise when he was promoted to first string. It was he and another first year, Haruichi Kominato, another very capable player, who despite his small and feminine stature was amazing at defense and batting. Satoru was glad that he wasn't the only first year on first string anymore. He was used to being alone, sure, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. After lonely years of elementary and junior high school, he wasn't expecting that he'd make any friends, but it was reassuring to know that he wasn't _technically_ alone anymore.

At first, Satoru didn't pay much attention to them. He was there to pitch only. He had Kazuya and his catcher's mitt. Initially, that was all that mattered. But after a few weeks of grueling practices and mutual suffering, he found a buddy in the adorable, friendly Haruichi and both a rival and a friend in Eijun Sawamura. Although it was a foreign feeling considering the other two_ 'friends'_, it was definitely a nice change. He wasn't used to saying that someone was his friend, nor was he used to having fun with others. He would steal Eijun's tire while Eijun would get mad and try to jump the taller boy trying to fight back for it. Then they'd be bossed around by Isashiki and bullied by Kuramochi, and those moments were the first times that he actually felt a semblance of _closeness_ to people.

He was beginning to finally experience what he had been missing out on, after years and years of having _no one_ to experience _anything_ with. It was still difficult to truly open up to everyone and truly feel like he belonged, but each moment was a new step to forming a closer bond with people that he could call a team.

There was one person specifically, however, that he felt he was becoming even _closer_ to, albeit somewhat one-sided on his part.

And definitely in a way that he never expected.

He didn't really know when it began. Maybe it was from the first time he'd met him outside practicing at night, or maybe it even stemmed from their very first encounter. It wasn't long until Satoru began liking Eijun's bothersome behavior, or at least it wasn't as irritable as it used to be. In fact, he started to find his demeanor slightly _endearing_, even if the amount of secondhand embarrassment he and everyone felt inside was unbelievable.

He never thought that someone could be so _cute_ when humiliating himself.

He never really noticed it before, but Eijun had puppy dog eyes; they lit up when he was praised, shone when he was on the mound, and flickered when he was worried. The taller pitcher hardly paid attention except when he was doing the throwing, but soon enough he found himself staring more and more when his established rival was the center of attention... and not just particularly at his form.

Satoru had crushes before, of course. He never really acted on them since he never actually cared enough, knowing that he would be going to Tokyo ever since he heard of Kazuya Miyuki. Nonetheless, in the past he had blushed over a few pretty, popular girls and turned one or two girls down, ones attracted to his enigma (he wasn't really, he was just quiet) and his athleticism.

However, he never even _dreamed_ that he'd have a crush on someone of the same sex, and _especially_ not his established rival.

At first, he thought nothing of it. Maybe he was thinking about Eijun because they spent a lot of time together. They were in the bullpen together, they ate lunch at the cafeteria with Haruichi and the senpais together, they were teased by Kazuya together, and sometimes even bathed together. His occasional thoughts weren't a problem since they were usually just flashes of his face, but consequently, he realized he was staring at his butt more often than his arm and Eijun started appearing in his dirty thoughts.

Satoru didn't display much interest in lewd activities but even he needed to release some frustration sometimes. He'd usually do it when his room mates were out or in the bathroom when no one else was around. It used to be every once in a while, thinking of no one in particular and beating off because he was stressed or bored but it all came crashing down when he started to think of Eijun. It wasn't long until he started jacking off every night, imagining the shorter pitcher's form under his tight uniform and what _else_ he could do with his hands.

It was becoming quite distressing. He had to spend more money on tissues and buying pairs of socks, and sometimes his room mates would almost catch him in the act. It was fortunate that he couldn't keep it up for long because of his low stamina.

Satoru was a bit disturbed at first, but after some time he was starting to accept the fact that _maybe_ he was a little gay.

For the first time in his fifteen years, the black-haired teenager was very frustrated over something other than baseball. He didn't think that anyone would really care if he was attracted to the same sex or at least bi since there was some questionable activity between a lot of the senpais. If they judged him, he could always put that card at least. In fact, he was almost positive that he had seen the bearded vice-captain sneak into captain Tetsuya's room once, although it could have been for a game plan (it was three in the morning and Satoru wanted to get some water).

It was just a hindrance that every once in a while his thoughts would wander and he'd become distracted in the bullpen, glimpsing Eijun's way to "check his rival's progress"(or what he convinced himself), and feel a stare from Kazuya that tore through him.

He felt somewhat guilty for his performance when he lost control over his thoughts and wondered if he pissed Kazuya off, but Satoru was about to realize that it wasn't his pitching that his elder was mad at.

* * *

Practice was cancelled for the day, a rare occasion at Seidou. Usually, even if it was, everyone would just go somewhere dry to practice, unless coach put his foot down and insisted no. It previously had rained heavily, the fields muddy and disgusting, discovered by Eijun when he attempted his routine run with his tire. He fell flat on his face after tripping in the mud, and the dirt on his face and anger that followed was kind of cute. Actually, it made Satoru want to wank a little, but he was trying to keep his habits in control, thus closing his eyes and thinking of his father's hairy chest after he saw Eijun after the incident.

Nonetheless, he felt that a bath was in order to dispense him of any inappropriate thoughts that could possibly come back and get rid of any trace of a boner. Thankfully, he was in the clear from the person he wanted to avoid. Haruichi had taken Eijun to the bath before and asked if Satoru wanted to come as well but he excused himself by saying he'd do so later. Haruichi didn't question it, probably because he had an inkling of an idea about Satoru's crush since he was pretty observant, and wasn't oblivious or stupid like a certain person he took a bath with.

Satoru waited until after dusk when he went into the virtually empty changing room. He stripped while grabbing a towel to cover his bottom half, folded his clothes and put them in a locker, and then walked into the bath. Judging from the previous area, he thought he would be alone and able to sort out his thoughts,but an unexpected surprise befell him when he looked around. His second year senpai sat there, humming smoothly while washing himself.

Satoru didn't know it just yet, but this was the beginning of a metamorphosis. His relationship with his senpai would soon begin to change.

"Oh, Furuya!" Kazuya greeted, as only he would awkwardly in the bath, obviously trying to make his kouhai uncomfortable. He had a habit of trying that with everyone since he was kind of a bastard, "What brings you here?"

"...To get clean," the former replied, ignoring the bright-eyed senior's frown when he took a few seats away from him. As much as he liked him, the boy didn't want to bathe next to him all that much. He had a feeling the second year would say something completely embarrassing that might actually make him blush. When he, Haruichi, and Eijun took baths together, they didn't talk to each other until they were done washing and went in to take a soak. One would think it was awkward bathing with their crush, but Satoru could tolerate it since the bath water wasn't transparent and the area was pretty largee to accommodate a certain number.

"Ah, way to be literal." Satoru could hear the singsong in his voice, but shrugged in response and for a while everything was silent. Maybe everything would turn out okay and nothing awkward would commence. Satoru and Kazuya formed an exceptional alliance, but lately there was a certain tension that had come before them and the former couldn't figure out why.

Alas, his hopes were sadly mistaken.

He should have expected it, really. It was Kazuya Miyuki after all.

The brown-haired catcher stepped into the bath. After finishing cleaning himself, Satoru followed suit. Silence still filled the air, and Satoru decided to take a short nap, resting his head on the side so he wouldn't drown when the devil himself opened his mouth.

"So, Furuya-kun, do you like anybody?" Kazuya asked slyly and out of the blue. Light blue eyes immediately flickered from their drooping state. Some of the things that this person said were very questionable and implied deeper meaning, but the one in question wasn't the type to leave someone hanging. That kind of question would also make someone extremely uncomfortable and flustered, _especially_ someone like Eijun, but after being in control of himself for so long Furuya's eyes only widened in shock.

Kazuya was very intelligible. It didn't look like he was interested in Satoru in that way at all. There was no thoughtful look directed towards him or a seductive wink, and another thing was that he had just scratched his armpits. Either Kazuya Miyuki had absolutely no shame when it came to confessing to his love interest, or he did not like Satoru Furuya in that way.

Then again, it could be a very well thought out strategy. Maybe Kazuya knew that he would be going into the bath and waited for the perfect moment to strike. It was perfect; he'd be cornered into going out with him, and he _was_ very cunning after all. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad dating him, but it would be really awkward if he accidentally said the other pitcher's name if Kazuya ever tried to have sex with him.

Satoru decided to keep his cool, because he was still unsure of what his senpai was trying to get at and didn't want to be made fun of. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know. A cute girl to crush on or something! There's a bunch of them here, that Yoshikawa girl is pretty cute, don't you think?" He curved his mouth into a signature smirk, "and Rei-chan's jugs are quite a subject of attention between you first years!"

Satoru looked away, sinking into the water to keep a tinge of pink appearing on his cheeks. Originally, he had been one of the boys enraptured by the scout's chest, but it was more because of awe that they could be so big than anything, "I guess. I'm not sure. They don't really interest me."

Kazuya's face was still smug, and Satoru felt a small urge to punch it for some reason.

"Ah, true. Your only passion is pitching, isn't it?" Satoru couldn't help the snort that followed, and Kazuya sent a half-smile his way. However, it was the first time Satoru realized that his elder's eyes weren't shining as brightly as they usually do.

"You can cut the crap with me, you know. Put a little faith in me! We're usually a pretty good duo, and you trust me for the most part," he let out an over dramatic sigh, "But I can't believe you're lying now. I'm not oblivious or ignorant like our other team mates, you know. It's obvious that you have a little crush on Sawamura-chan."

The dark-haired boy couldn't believe his ears after Kazuya's statement. How in the hell could he tell?! "Well, not entirely. Actually, you're good at keeping your emotions at bay so I'm probably one of the only ones who noticed it. But your pitching has been a bit out of control, more than usual, and more powerful too. I mean, that's good, and you're fine during games, but I can sense when something's amiss. Catcher's intuition you know!"

The younger dipped even deeper into the water, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. Damn it, he was found out, and by _Kazuya_ nonetheless. It was somewhat humiliating, but it also kind of nice since he would have liked to consider Kazuya as a friend. No one had ever known about his crushes before; he had never been able to tell anybody. Kazuya could sense his awkward aura and laughed good-naturedly, although if one listened closely it sounded somewhat forced.

"Relax, relax! I was actually just trying to get on your nerves, but your reaction reveals that I was right. It's good that you have a crush, I was beginning to think you were a robot." Even if his senpai's results were somewhat insulting, he did appreciate the sentiment and sometimes they were appropriate for the moment. The kouhai let out a small smile.

After another pause of silence, Kazuya got up to leave. Satoru was about to bid him a good bye, but Kazuya beat him to it, and the words that came out of his mouth were another utter surprise.

"I don't really care that you have a crush on Sawamura, but that might be a problem in the future.

Because I like our stupid little Eiji-kun, too!"

Satoru stared at the back of the other teenager's head, messy brown locks sticking up in many ways, before Kazuya's head tilted to give him a quick wink. He left him in the bath to ponder about the situation at hand, and about what the fuck he was possibly getting himself into.

* * *

**it was so hard resisting the urge to type tildes for miyuki and not writing furuya and miyuki lemme tell u. actually i had to stop myself from doing that half the time? anyway here's a little fic bc i am silly and can't resist, hopefully its not too bad bc its 3AM and i want my friends to read this. 3rd fic in the diaace tag i am hoping i inspire u all to write i hope i did not mess up too much or make characterization shitty also write me furusawa or kuramochi/miyuki or shunshin/miyuki thank you all **


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